BMW “Committing Long-Term” to Factory LMDh Effort

BMW has reaffirmed its commitment to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTP category alongside its presence in the FIA World Endurance Championship, stating it will continue to compete in the U.S. series “in the coming years” despite parting ways with longtime partner Team RLL.

It was revealed earlier this month that BMW and Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing would go their separate ways after a 17-year partnership that dated back to the American Le Mans Series.

At the time, BMW had not yet publicly finalized its participation in the WeatherTech Championship’s GTP class for next year.

However, a statement issued by the Bavarian manufacturer on Thursday outlined that it “is committing long-term” to its program with the Dallara-chassised M Hybrid V8 LMDh car.

No further details were made public other than the brand stating that it will continue to race in both championships in the “coming years,” with no word given on the exact scope of its WeatherTech Championship program in 2026.

Additionally, BMW stated that the team that will operate the M Hybrid V8 in the WeatherTech Championship “will be announced at a later date.”

Team WRT, which currently already runs BMW’s factory Hypercar effort in the world championship, is expected to take over operations of the U.S. program.

“I am very pleased that we will continue our successful Hypercar programme long-term in both the FIA WEC and the IMSA series,” said Andreas Roos, head of BMW M Motorsport.

“Over the past years, we’ve learned a great deal about our BMW M Hybrid V8, made significant progress, and established ourselves among the front-runners in both championships.

“Accordingly, I look to the future with great anticipation and optimism, especially since the extended homologation period provides us with a high level of planning security.

“As part of our future planning, we have decided to pursue our goals with a revised setup and not extend the contract with BMW M Team RLL for race operations in the IMSA series.

“I want to thank Bobby Rahal and his team for 17 fantastic years. Their loyalty to our brand over such a long period is exceptional.

“Since 2009, the team has achieved titles and victories across many generations of our race cars and has played a crucial role in building BMW M Motorsport’s strong fanbase in North America.

“Together, we made the bold move from GT racing to the GTP class for the 2023 season and celebrated several successes there.

“Even though our joint IMSA racing program is ending, we are very interested in continuing to count on BMW M Team RLL as a strong partner in North America in other areas.

“Discussions in this regard are ongoing. The same applies to our new IMSA race team, which we will announce in due course.”